Choosing a medical specialty: best advice

When it comes to choosing a medical specialty, it may seem to you like all the pre-med gunners around you in medical school have their future all buttoned up. They all seem to know not only their specialty, but where they’ll work, how well they’ll be paid, and when they can retire.

The truth is, 70 percent of all medical students end up practicing something different than what they planned in their pre-med days. So if you haven’t gotten around to choosing a medical specialty yet, you’re in good company.

Don’t stress…yet

Here’s some good advice: Slow down. Don’t stress. Take your time. Access people around you. Shadow doctors. Study up on different specialties. Do Internet searches. Watch surgical videos. Read books. Talk to people who’ve taken the path you think you want to take. Keep your mind open to lots of ideas. There are plenty of online resources as well, like this test by the University of Virginia to help you determine your MSA (medical specialty aptitude). The AAMC Careers in Medicine website also offers lots of self-evaluation tools and information to help you make a career decision. You’ll need login information from your college to access this helpful site.

What’s so critical about choosing a medical specialty anyway?

If you consider that there are around three dozen medical specialties, and up

From blog.sermo.com site for doctors

to 120 subspecialties to choose from, it could be premature choosing a medical specialty before exploring a few of them. You want to be one of those docs who is happy about the specialty you choose, not regretful!

Options ahead

In medical school you’ll have the chance to do rotations, go on rounds with doctors, and see a much bigger world. You’ll have the chance to choose an internship before you get placed into a residency. At that point, you should be very, very sure about what you want to do when you grow up! And you will.

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Bryce is a professional writer, editor, and admissions consultant. He’s between undergrad and medical school at the moment, trying to get out of debt before takes on a lot more. If you like how he writes, you might consider having him help you with your personal statement.

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